OS5A-6:UNDERSTANDING THE EFFECTS OF KINETICALLY ACTIVE COMPOUNDS ON GAS HYDRATE GROWTH

Jonathan D. VERRETT, Dany POSTERARO, Spencer BRENNAN, Jason IVALL, Phillip SERVIO
Department of Chemical Engineering, McGill University, CANADA

    Gas hydrate growth kinetics are important for nearly all applications of gas hydrates in industry. Kinetics play a vital role in flow assurance, natural gas hydrate extraction as well as gas separation and storage. It is thus important to understand the mechanisms by which hydrates grow and the effects various compounds play on this growth.

    In recent years, interest in compounds that kinetically inhibit and promote gas hydrate growth has increased. Compounds such as sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and other surfactants have been shown to promote growth and prevent agglomeration, whereas polymers such as polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) have been shown to inhibit growth. Despite their effects, little is still understood about the mechanism by which these compounds affect hydrate formation.

    This presentation will highlight work done over the past 5 years on the effects of various kinetic inhibitors and promoters on hydrate growth. It presents the first in-depth study on the effect of concentration of kinetically active compounds on hydrate growth. The effects of these compounds were characterized by measuring solubility, mole fraction, and particle size during growth. The combination of these measurements gave insights into the promotion and inhibition mechanisms and highlight the role that interfaces play in growth kinetics.